Why is an independent inspection so important?
After working years in the construction and inspection industries, I thought I would be completely and fully prepared to buy my first home.
So…
I did my research. I reviewed homes online. I found the house I wanted to be my forever home.
I called my realtor and they met me for my first walk through-kids in tow. This home was perfect. It was located in a great neighborhood, had all the amenities on our list and “looked” like it was in good shape. At a glance (and this is usually how first time home buyers look at the home), it was perfect!
The listed price was a little more than what we wanted to pay, but we thought this home would be a great investment and good homes were going fast. So we made our offer and the sellers accepted. The process seemed to be going our way and fast! Usually it is required to get a home inspection within 7 days of the Purchase Agreement.
I called an independent inspection company and they were able to fit my inspection into their schedule in the allotted time frame. Â I was confidant that they wouldn’t find much; after all, I know about homes.
I received the inspection report within a few days. to my surprise, there were many, many concerns. I must have been wearing rose colored glasses and focused on the wrong things; which is completely normal. The buying process is a very emotional and exciting time and I was emotional and biased during my initial walk through. For this very reason, it is in important to have an independent and unbiased inspector.
Our inspector found deficiencies, I had overlooked. He found out of date equipment, non-working mechanical and a large list of deficiencies. There was a total of $15000-$17000 in repairs and replacements to remedy the deficiencies. We were still ready to move forward with the purchase and pay for these repairs, as long as the sellers lowered their price in the amount of the cost of repairs. Our realtor went back to negotiate but the sellers were not willing to negotiate.
We walked away from this deal, but not everyone needs to walk away. You may want to invest in the repairs yourself. We didn’t see the value in the original offer price and incurring additional repair costs.
Since we have walked away from that home, we found aother home that we can call our FOREVER home. We had another inspection and this time, it went great!
Your inspection will always show deficiencies, if there are any and you can use it to negotiate, walk away or know what you need to budget for. Your inspector is hired by you and therefore looking out for your best interest.
Good luck in your house hunting and finding your forever home, but first team up with National Building Inspections to be your independent inspector to Inspect It BEFORE you BUY it!
-Kristin Butcher
